Hydrometer?

[mworkman]

Hi. I just got my brewing kit a couple days ago. I bought some ingredients from true brew (Red Ale). Anyway, while reading the directions it said to take a hydrometer reading for beginning specifec gravity before putting in the yeast. They said this is optional. What are the bennefits of this? Is it neccessary?
Thanks for any input, I don't want to wreck the first batch.

Mark

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

You can't wreck anything as long as you sanitize the hydrometer. The benefit is to know how close you came to the projected OG (original gravity) of the recipe, and it will also give you an idea of the potential alcohol % in the finished product. Some people eschew hydrometer use while other, like me, find it invaluable for repeatable results and improving my processes.

 

[mworkman]

Thanks BeeGee. I think I will buy one. I'm going to start this batch tho first..

 

[Walker]

I'm in the other camp as BeeGee. I don't like hydrometers and I don't have one. As an extract brewer, I'm subject to a lot less variation in my starting gravity, and (normally) I don't really care how much alcohol is in my beer as long as it tastes good.

I remember when I first started brewing, though. Knowing the ABV was a cool thing. Also, being an inexperienced brewer, it was nice to have the thing so that I could tell when the beer was really done fermenting, but as time went on I began to use it less and less and less.

I eventually got to the point where I used it once in a while for really Big Beers where knowing the alcohol content was more important than for my average batch. This meant I was using the device only a couple times a year. I broke the thing a few months ago and have no intention of replacing it any time soon.

-walker

 

[david_42]

I also vote for using a hydrometer. There is no way to tell if a ferment is stuck without one. They are more useful to the AG brewer; for checking sparge water, calculating mash efficiency, and figuring out the impact of equipment and technique changes.